Housing

Some of us want transit access. Some of us want good schools. But we can all agree on one thing: housing is crucial. Toronto Life determined the best place to buy a home by measuring affordability (cost versus average family income), quality and appreciation. We also looked at the city’s rental market, the condo craze and who owns where. The biggest takeaways: Rosedale’s property values are starting to slip, and Scarborough is a gold mine.

East vs. West

Real estate in the east end is slightly cheaper than in the west, averaging $614,956 versus $639,533. The most expensive east-end ’hood is Playter Estates-Danforth, which averages $1.2 million. In the west, it’s Kingsway South at $1.4 million.

Downtown vs. Suburbs

Contrary to popular belief, housing downtown runs cheaper than in North York—probably due to the condo boom. It averages $559,300, versus $735,736. The priciest real estate in the core is in Cabbagetown, which averages $800,066. North of the 401, it’s Bayview Woods-Steeles at $972,106.